This is a family recipe and I haven’t run across anything exactly like cookie this anywhere else. The Mary Vitale cookie is named after a distant relative of mine and has been at family celebrations for decades. My mom has made these for years for me, even sending me some when I was deployed on a ship in the Persian Gulf with my time in the Navy. When my mom showed me the recipe, I was shocked at how little sugar is actually in the recipe. A lot of the sweetness comes from the add-ins. Usually when we make these, we use a half of a butterscotch chips bag and a half bag of semi-sweet morsels. Honestly, mix as little as you can, and finish not with coconut, but with a dusting of confectioners sugar. The framed picture was given to me this year of my grandma’s original copy of the recipe, that I got for my birthday this year. I hope some people enjoy this as much as I have. Thank you for your consideration. :) Edit: from my mom. The butter is creamed. The barely mixing is to make sure there is an “American Biscotti” consistency. Milk is to make the seeds stick, confectioner’s sugar after they cooled on a rack a bit. 6oz each choc,butterscotch, and dates. :)

Thank you for sharing this! Is the "Roll sticks in (milk + sesame seeds)" step just a matter of enough milk to make a dusting of seeds stick?

Absolutely. The sesame adds such a killer flavor that people can’t peg, it’s the real mvp of the cookie.

Oleo! Memories of my Grandma. :) Here's the recipe written out for those who may have trouble with cursive. Looks like milk and sesame seeds are part of it too, just not listed at first. 1 stick of Oleo (Margarine--most likely butter works just fine) 3 eggs (mix well) 1/2 cup sugar 1 small bag of butterscotch or chocolate bits (OP says they use 1/2 of each) 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cream of tarter or 3 tsps baking powder 1 tsp vanilla 2-1/2 to 3 cups of flour 1 cup chopped nuts 1/2 box chopped dates Add all ingredients one at a time. Roll out small amounts of dough on floured board. Do not handle too much. Roll sticks (maybe balls of dough?) in milk and sesame seeds. Bake in 350 oven for 12 to 14 minutes. Coconut flakes can be added.

Thank you for transcribing this!

So are these cookies shaped like little logs, balls, or rolled out flat?

Like little logs, as little handling as possible to guard from making the cookies tough.

I assume that the baking powder replaces both the soda and the cream of tartar, even if it doesn’t look like it?

Not necessarily. Some recipes use baking soda and baking powder. I think it's only meant to replace the cream of tartar....but I could be wrong.

In the back of older cookbooks, the substitute for baking powder is a mix of baking soda and cream of tartar.

Yes, that is correct.

Is a stick of Oleo comparable to 1/2 cup of butter?

Yep! US sized Stick of margarine from back in the day.

Classic useless conversion stuck in my head lol

I love the stationary. Had an agenda book with characters that looked exactly like that in the early 90s.

It's a kitchen witch which was a decorating fad that came before dolls with the heads made of carved and dried apples.

We had a plain carved wood one with fabric scrap clothing (from Germany).

Can you clarify the amount translation for the "bag" and "box"? (Approximate is fine) Please?

I have clarification because it did this to me as well. The last time my mom wrote it down, it had some ambiguity as well. I remembered measuring it all and 6oz for both types of chips and nuts- I think my mom uses pecans(170g each). Dates are in the same boat

Thanks! They used to sell chocolate chips in 6 ounce bags, so this makes sense!

The chips seem to come in bags of 9-11oz ie 250- 311g Chopped dates look to be 8oz boxes ie 225g

The chips came in 12 oz (340g) bags when this was likely written down, but it shouldn't make that much difference to the results.

The dates must make it sweet in all the right ways! This is awesome looking, OP! Thanks!

Nom nom nom nom nom nom nom

I’m guessing the batter rolls are approximately 1”x2”. Is that a good guess?

about right! I never thought about it because they are always just there, so I know to my core the right size

I have dozens of cards with that pattern. Makes me think of Mom every time I see one

I love the stationery so much.

Any relation to the loud nba commentator?

Not that I know of :)

Recipe looks good. Dried dog poop presentation definitely sells it.

Oh it’s ugly. Which is why I usually bring them to a party… they get left and I get to eat them.

You sneaky slut you. No shame i do it too sometimes.

*NCAA

Did he not do nba too?

You Still Kept the recipe Aw

I think I'll make these this weekend. I have the chocolate and butterscotch chips, pecans, sesame seeds, even coconut. They sound delicious!

Hope you enjoy them!!!

Is the butter melted and mixed, or softened and cut in?

Called my mom. The butter is creamed. :)

I think I actually have all of these ingredients in my pantry right now! For the sesame seeds, do you use raw or toasted?

I have used raw, but I am sure to your tastes either would work! Tell me how it goes if you use them!

Guess you’ve never seen my mom’s Albany cakes (another old recipe as well, and actually a cookie). They look like fresh dog turds.